Annotation:Malcolm Currie

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MALCOLM CURRIE. Scottish, Reel. The tune was written by William Gray, Pipe-Major of the 2nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, during World War I. In 1920 Malcolm MacLean Currie (1865-1940) was the first Secretary for the newly formed Scottish Pipers Association (Glasgow), while William "Willie" Gray was one of the committee members. The Scottish Pipers Association has this information on Currie [1]:

Malcolm MacLean Currie was born at Carnduncan in the parish of Kilchoman, Islay on 16th December 1865, son of Archibald Currie a gardener and Jessie MacLean. He was a farmworker in Islay and then in Bute before moving to Glasgow at the age of sixteen. He competed at the Argyllshire Gathering for a number of years and was second in the Local March competition in 1896, 1897 and 1898 before winning it in 1899.

During the 1914-18 war he was Pipe Major of the RAMC pipe band and then a staff sergeant forming camps for convalescent soldiers. Before the war he was a piper in the band of 7th HLI under PM Farquhar MacRae. For 30 years he was the caretaker of the Royal Artillery Hall in Yorkhill Parade.

He was the secretary of the SPA for many years and was also a member of the Islay Association. Willie Gray wrote one of his best reels, Malcolm MacLean Currie for him.

Malcolm MacLean Currie died suddenly on 28th December 1940 while on his way home from the Saturday evening SPA meeting. A trophy in his memory was presented to the Association but this was lost sometime after 1982.

Source for notated version:

Printed sources:

Recorded sources: Flying Fish FF-250, The Battlefield Band - "Home is Where the Van Is" (1981).




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